Local injection of anti-cancer drugs bound to carbon particles for early gastric cancer--a pilot study.

Background/Aims: A new dosage formulation consisting of an anti-cancer drug bound to activated carbon particles was developed for a local injection against early gastric cancer so that the dosage formulation yields chemotherapeutic effects selectively to the lymph node metastases as well as to the primary lesion. Methodology: As a pilot study, the new dosage formulation, total of 50-200mg of methotrexate only or total of 200mg of methotrexate plus 8mg of mitomycin C, was injected into the primary lesions and the adjacent gastric wall of 8 patients with early gastric cancer, guided by a gastrofiberscope before gastrectomy. The surgically resected specimens were examined histologically for the therapeutic effects on the primary lesion and its nodal metastasis. Results: The therapeutic effects were seen in 2 of 4 lymph node metastases (50%) and 5 of 8 of the primary lesions (63%), as confirmed histologically with degeneration and/or necrosis. Conclusions: Preoperative local injection of the new dosage formulation will be useful to give chemotherapeutic effects on the potential metastases in the regional nodes as well as to the primary lesion.